Clicking “add to cart” may feel satisfying, but it does not compare to the experience of shopping in-store. Letting the minutes slip by as you feel fabric, holding a piece up to the mirror, stepping out of the trial room for a second opinion, and inevitably doing a little twirl for whoever came with you—like we said, incomparable. The best new stores know this, too. Fashion spaces today are designed to be both places to experience and places to shop—with interiors that you’ll admire just as much as the clothes.
Here are nine new stores worth making a trip to—and swiping your credit card at.
AMPM
AMP by Priyanka Modi and Ankur Modi returns to Mumbai after seven years. The new store is designed as an intimate, contemporary space, in line with the brand’s minimal aesthetic. Its beige palette creating a sense of calm and continuity across the store, while wooden benches and shelving add warmth without taking away from the clothes.
Anushree Reddy
Hyderabad-based designer Anushree Reddy has opened her fifth retail space in India. The 7,000-square-foot store, designed by Kavan Shah Design Studio translates the designer’s romantic aesthetic into graceful arches, hand-painted ceilings and vintage accents.
Where: Dhan Mill, New Delhi
Papa Don’t Preach
Colourful and fantastical, Papa Don’t Preach’s new space in Mumbai—also its second in the city—is imagined as a portal between our world and the “Papaverse”, the parallel universe where the brand lives. Founder Shubhika Sharma worked with her sister, interior designer and Design Hex founder Shimona Bhansali, to bring the idea to life, as with her other locations.
Where: Bandra, Mumbai
péro
17 years since launching, péro opened its first and only flagship store in Delhi’s Lodhi Colony neighbourhood with a space crafted with stone, brick, wood, metal and terrazzo, alongside terracotta tiles and hand-beaten brass. Look closely, and you’ll also spot little heart motifs, a recurring symbol in the péro universe. “It is a space where people can wander, discover, spend time, have conversations or simply be. More than anything, we hope people experience the same warmth and love that goes into everything we make,” shares Arora.
Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla
Mubarak Baug, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla’s new 20,000-square-foot space, takes its name from the Khosla’s ancestral home, Mubarak Manzil in Kapurthala, Punjab. Designed by A Wonder Room, the designers’ interior decor venture, the reformed Framjee Cawasjee Institute in South Mumbai’s iconic Dhobi Talao neighbourhood, is a maximalist dream. On the ground floor, a fictional city made entirely of brass hangs upside down from the ceiling, while upstairs, brass repoussé panels depict Mumbai’s skyline leading to a space—once a theatre—that now houses the label’s couture offerings.
Where: Framjee Cawasjee Institute, Mumbai
Ridhi Mehra
As the house enters its fifteenth year, Ridhi Mehra has opened its first dedicated bridal flagship. Designed by Phenotype Studio, led by architect and designer Anica Kochhar, the space features warm timber, muted tones and soft blush accents, along with a private bridal lounge for consultations and fittings.
Where: Ambawatta One, Mehrauli, New Delhi
Sabyasachi
Featuring 300 original paintings by artists of the Sabyasachi Art Foundation, antique textiles, an installation housing a life-size Bengal tiger, ceramic fruits created by artisans in Kolkata, and much more to please the eye, the ornate interiors at Sabyasachi’s latest 26,000-square-foot store in Delhi are loyal to the brand’s extravagance.
Where: The Citadel, One Style Mile, Mehrauli, Delhi
Off-White
After launching its first flagship in Bengaluru earlier this year, Off-White has opened its second indian location in Delhi, and a third one in Kolkata. The spaces boast the label’s familiar mix of luxury, street culture and creative experimentation.
Where: DLF Promenade, Delhi; Quest Mall, Kolkata
Bvlgari
Bvlgari has opened its first standalone boutique in Kolkata, marking this its fourth destination in India. In the 115-square-metre space, a Serpenti chandelier by Venini, handcrafted in Murano glass from around 300 crystal wands, takes centre stage. A bespoke installation also connects maps of Kolkata and Rome through a sinuous Serpenti form.
Where: Quest Mall, Kolkata
The Living Room Story
Though this is not a store in the strictest sense, The Living Room Story’s October edition is worth a stop. The Mumbai-based pop-up of luxe brands handpicked from Indian and international labels is bringing Oscar de la Renta to the city for the first time, in a three-day edition curated and hosted by founders Ashmi Bhansali and Sanaa Choksi, in collaboration with stylist Anaita Shroff Adajania.
